KEY WEST FISHING REPORT
Yellowtail snapper made up a large part of the August catch, with lane snapper also coming over the rail in good numbers.
Our summer night trips also caught the tail end of the grey (mangrove) snapper spawn during August. That was specifically part of the night-fishing bite, while yellowtail and lane snapper made up much of what we were seeing during our regular August fishing.
This report comes from our own trips aboard the 56-foot Gulfstream IV out of Historic Charter Boat Row. We generally fish roughly 3–10 miles offshore in about 20–100+ feet of water, depending on conditions and where we're fishing — see our Key West reef fishing trip for how a typical day runs, or our summer night fishing trip for the night bite.
What's Biting in Key West
Based on what we saw in August 2026 aboard the Gulfstream IV.
🔥 Hot
- Yellowtail Snapper
- Lane Snapper
🌙 Night Fishing / Seasonal
- Grey snapper — tail end of the summer spawning activity
Our summer night fishing trips are done for the season — the next one is scheduled for June 15, 2027.
Recent Featured Catches
Real fish from recent trips aboard the Gulfstream party boat. Pulled straight from our monthly Key West fishing report archive.
May 2026
Yellowtail snapper stacking behind the boat — muttons, lanes, and red grouper opening day.
May 1, 2026 — Opening day of red grouper season and the bite delivered. This thick keeper came up out of 45 ft on the hard bottom just a few miles offshore, eating a chunk of fresh squid on a knocker rig. Happy customer with the thumbs up — first grouper of the season is always the best one.
April 2026
Cero mackerel blitzing the reef edge and muttons feeding hard on the morning tide.
April 10, 2026 — Solid mutton snapper boated on the morning anchor stop. These fish came up out of 35 ft of water on the patch reefs at slack tide, biting cut squid on a long fluoro leader. Mate Ethan on the gaff, all smiles.
March 2026
Lane snapper feeding hard, king mackerel still running, and ceros showing up daily.
March 12, 2026 — Lanes were thick. This colorful lane snapper came up from 35 ft on a small chunk of squid on a double-hook bottom rig. We got into them this trip — fish on most drops once the boat settled on the bottom.
Key West Fishing Calendar by Season
Spring (Mar–May)
Mutton snapper peak, cero mackerel blitzes on the chum slick, and red grouper opens May 1.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Yellowtail snapper insanity, lane snapper and porgy filling the cooler, summer night fishing for mangrove snapper. See our Summer Night Fishing trip.
Fall (Sep–Nov)
Kingfish runs heat up, cero mackerel everywhere, blackfin tuna on the deeper structure. Beautiful weather window.
Winter (Dec–Feb)
Big mangrove snapper, kingfish thick on the reef edge, cobia on the wrecks. Coolest water of the year — fish hold tight to structure.
Fishing Report FAQ
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Fishing Report Archive
Browse past months to see what was biting and plan around the seasons.
Yellowtail snapper stacking behind the boat — muttons, lanes, and red grouper opening day.
Cero mackerel blitzing the reef edge and muttons feeding hard on the morning tide.
Lane snapper feeding hard, king mackerel still running, and ceros showing up daily.
Lane snapper filling the cooler with kingfish and cobia rounding out the day.
Lane snapper stacked on the patches with yellowtails working the chum slick.
Kingfish thick on the reef edge with grunts and lanes filling the cooler on the bottom.
Kingfish run heating up with blackfin tuna and steady yellowtails on the reef.
Fall transition in full swing — ceros everywhere, blackfin tuna, and steady yellowtails.
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